


infectious

by shadowcat500



Series: Plaguetober 2020 [12]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Blood and Gore, Gen, Gore, Plague Doctors, Plaguetober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26875021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowcat500/pseuds/shadowcat500
Summary: Kuriko is introduced to a plague victim, first-hand.
Series: Plaguetober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948417
Kudos: 1





	infectious

**Author's Note:**

> 12/10 Pustules

The doctor’s table is still soaked in blood from their last patient. The dead man’s body is just outside, waiting for the body-takers to drag him to their cart for burning, still sluggishly bleeding onto the uneven pavement. 

“So, what can I do for you today? You don’t look sick, if you don’t mind me saying.”

Kuriko jumps at the sudden voice, but Dahlia merely adjusts her position to speak to the doctor better. “No, I’m a professional. This here is my apprentice, you may have heard the rumours? The one about the prophecy.”

“The prophecy?” The shadow of eyes Kuriko can see behind the lenses of their mask widen. “This is the last survivor? But she’s so _young_.” 

“We were both young when we started in this business, Duke.”

“No, not that. Hasn’t Stormpoint been gone for centuries? I was expected a wizened old miracle-worker, not a _child_.”

“She was cursed, but we broke it by taking her back down the mountain. Anyway, we aren’t here to play twenty questions. We’re here to explain the plague to her. May we use the man outside as an example?”

“Oh, certainly. I’d be delighted to help.” The doctor, Duke apparently, squeezes past the to the door, opens it and gestures through. “After you.”

***

Kuriko can’t help it. She gasps in shock. “What in Kios’s name?”

The liquid runs down his cheeks like tears, leaking from his nose and mouth in wide stretches of red. Massive worn-off patches of skin hang loose from his body like sheets of stained white fabric. No wonder they thought this was bleeding sickness: it may be some kind of worse, more widespread variant of the last plague to hit her home before the Burning.

Behind her, Duke turns back towards the doorway and mouths “Kios?” Dahlia shrugs. 

Kuriko steps closer to the body, hand outstretched to examine before Dahlia and Duke stop her.

“Hey! I’m not letting the last survivor of Stormpoint get the bleeding sickness!”

“It’s not bleeding sickness. Bleeding sickness doesn’t cause a coma.”

“I, uh… well, if you have to touch the man, use this.” He hands her his cane, inspection point in his leather-gloved hand. 

Kuriko takes the leather-wrapped handle and prods at the man’s left arm, trying to move it just enough to check for any buboes in his armpit. The blood-soaked limb still slides back into place, no matter how many tries she takes.

“Hey, don’t worry. Takes a bit of getting used to.” Duke crouches down and lifts the arm. “I’m wearing gloves, so it’s somewhat ok. I’ll just have to scrub these like a maniac once you’re done.” He sees her face and adds “I don’t have any in your size, I’m afraid.”

Kuriko shrugs and starts prodding again. No black spots she can see. But there _is_ a weird, yellowish lump she can see on the side of his ribcage that his arm was obscuring. She prods it with the cane. 

“There are some breathing issues in patients, but no really bad cough unless it was something preexisting. No broken ribs like with whooping cough.”

Kuriko shakes her head and prods harder, pressing again and again, trying to judge the consistency of the lump until it bursts. Duke yanks her backwards and behind them, away from the pus that bursts out of the pustule on the man’s chest and splatters on the front of their coat. Their shoulders heave for a few seconds before slowing and they turn around to face her. “That was… _incredibly_ dangerous. If I hadn’t pulled you back in time you’d be infected before you could say ‘pustule’. And I would have cried and Dahlia would have killed me.”

Kuriko knows about pustules. Knows how infectious the yellow liquid that fills them is. Knows how dangerous it is to lance a pustule on a plague victim without proper protection. And still she’d done it. She must be even more out of practice than she thought. “I’m sorry. I should have known better.”

“I won’t say it’s ok, just please don’t do it again.” The doctor’s lenses look misty. “Are you done examining him, or can we go back inside?” 

Kuriko shakes her head. There is still much more to see.

**Author's Note:**

> Am I the only one who thinks having the tags "Blood" "Gore "Blood and Gore" is really funny
> 
> Check out my [ tumblr](https://existentialcrisisetcetera.tumblr.com/tagged/zach%20writes)!
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated!


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